


A Transformation of Autumnal Shades

by Cookies_and_Chaos



Category: Malory Towers - Enid Blyton
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-20
Updated: 2020-10-20
Packaged: 2021-03-07 20:27:29
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,364
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26993647
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Cookies_and_Chaos/pseuds/Cookies_and_Chaos
Summary: Gwendoline gets ready for her new school and wonders what her future might hold. Companion piece to 'Uniforms'.
Comments: 7
Kudos: 7





	A Transformation of Autumnal Shades

**Author's Note:**

> I spent a little time thinking about expanding the Uniforms piece ([Click here](https://archiveofourown.org/works/22230823)) I did for 12 Days of Christmas before deciding to do a longer one-shot for Gwen.
> 
> Content Warning for implied emotional neglect.

Gwendoline Mary Lacey ran the tips of her fingers across the top of the box. Her new uniform was inside and she was caught in a moment of uncertainty, wanting both to open it and to leave it be. She had never had a uniform before, would it be frightful? Restricting? Dowdy? Or would she put it on and look in the mirror and see the girl her father hoped she would become staring back at her?

Gwen opened the box carefully and peered inside. She wrinkled her nose, orange and brown were hardly the most flattering of colours, for anyone. She reached in and took a pile of clothes out then lay them, one-by-one, on her bed. A clothing silhouette lay complete in little over a minute.

"Gwen, darling, is everything alright?" Her mother called her from outside the bedroom door.

"Yes, quite alright," Gwen said, hoping her mother wouldn't come in. She wanted this moment to herself. "I shall be down in a few minutes."

Gwen took her time changing into the uniform, examining the fit, the stitch, and the quality of the work and material. Then, though she took as much time as she could, she was done.

Cautious steps carried her to the mirror and Gwen held her breath as she took her first look. Her mother would hate it, bemoan that the colours made Gwen look washed out or ordinary or too sensible, quite unlike her darling little girl. Gwen thought all of those things too but there was more. She looked older... No, that wasn't it exactly. She looked more grown-up, that was it. Like the women who worked down at the bank, who her mother shook her head at sadly and said it was such a shame that they had to work. Wasn't that what her father had said he hoped Gwen took from this school? The lessons of responsibility and hard working, to grow up and be prepared for the world ahead of her. A different girl, that was who her father wanted. A different daughter, one who made him light up with pride and who he would speak fondly of at parent's events, _'That's my daughter, don't you know.'_ Just imagining him saying that made her smile.

Gwen stepped closer to the mirror. She made the uniform look much nicer than it had seemed in the box and on the bed. Perhaps it wasn't so bad after all. The colours reminded her of Autumn, when the trees dropped their orange and golden leaves in blankets across their lawn and Gwen thought, for just a moment, about running through them and having the leaves fly up all around her in a flurry of colour. Whatever would her mother say if she were ever to do such a thing? Such silliness — and messiness, for it would make an awful state of her shoes and dress — was not something girls like Gwen did. Gwen performed a small twirl and smiled as the tunic flared out as much as its fit would allow.

Gwen skipped down the stairs, holding on lightly to the banister, and slowed down just before she stepped into the front room, the smile on her face growing as she dared hope for her father's reaction. Her mother saw her first and when Mrs Lacey's face fell, it felt as though someone had taken all the air out of the room.

"Oh, Gwen..." Her mother clutched her hands together and looked so disappointed that Gwen tore her gaze away from her mother and looked to her father.

Mr Lacey hadn't even looked up from his paper.

"Daddy, do you like my uniform?" Gwen asked hopefully, standing up a little straighter.

Mr Lacey glanced up and gave a sharp nod, then returned his attention to his paper. The entire floor may as well have fallen out from beneath Gwen's feet.

"Daddy," Gwen persisted, thinking that perhaps he hadn't taken a good enough look.

"It's fine, Gwendoline, put it away now. Can't have you ruining it," Mr Lacey said without looking up from his paper, "Miss Winter, perhaps you had best help Gwen so she doesn't rip it."

"Come along, Gwen" Miss Winter put down the sewing she was working on and ushered Gwen back out of the room and upstairs.

"It's just so dreary..." Mrs Lacey's voice fluttered up the stairs behind them.

"He didn't even look," Gwen said as soon as they were upstairs. Her eyes filled with tears and she blinked quickly to stop herself crying.

"Oh, I'm sure he did," Miss Winter said, always so quick to defend Mr Lacey. "Your father is just very busy and you know how he gets."

Gwen did know how he got and she had so hoped that this would give him pause to look at Gwen and smile and tell her that even though the uniform was the most awful palette, she still looked beautiful and, _my,_ didn't she look like so grown-up as well.

"It's such a shame," Miss Winter sighed as she carefully folded up the clothes. "If only there was a choice of colours, there are so many others that compliment you. Like that lovely blue dress of yours over there."

Gwen went over to get the blue dress to change into. It _was_ rather beautiful. She ran her thumb over the material and then looked down at her tunic. Suddenly the oranges and browns which had seemed so vibrant and bright mere minutes earlier were dull and faded, and Gwen couldn't wait to get out of the dreaded uniform. She took it off piece by piece and handed it to Miss Winter, who dutifully folded each item of clothing, then on came the blue dress that made her hair seem that much brighter and her eyes that much bluer.

"Did you think I looked nice in my uniform?" Gwen asked, looking at herself in the mirror, once again the little girl that her father tutted and rolled his eyes over and her mother fussed about.

"Of course, you look nice in everything you wear Gwen," Miss Winter smiled and Gwen managed a smile back. Miss Winter may be silly sometimes but Gwen never felt like she was simply putting up with her or parading her around like an accessory to be flaunted.

Miss Winter would read her stories and listen to her pretend to be a princess in a magical adventure. Miss Winter would laugh with her as they tried to muddle through the Maths and English work that Mr Lacey wanted Gwen to be taught — neither of them really all that sure of what they were to do — and she would tell Gwen that it was okay, no matter how many times she made a mistake because they could just try again. Reassurance instead of a tinkling laugh or a disappointed sigh.

"What do you think the girls at this school will be like?" Gwen asked, skipping over to the bed. "Mother says that there are sure to be some awful tomboys there because of how many sports they do, but do you think _I'll_ be able to find a special friend?"

"Absolutely, Gwen. I'm sure there will be girls just like you and you'll have a lovely time," Miss Winter said, "Shall we go out for a walk before I have to make lunch? I saw the swans swimming on the lake earlier and I know how much you enjoy seeing them. You might not get another chance before you go to Malory Towers."

Gwen thought about laughing and saying no. After all, she had outgrown her love of seeing the swans — beautiful as they were — a few years ago and she wanted to say to Miss Winter that she wasn't a little girl anymore so didn't need to go and see them. But Miss Winter was smiling so kindly at her and the thought of a half hour with someone who was quite happy to tell Gwen all the wonderful things she wanted to hear — things she wanted other people in her life to say — was too good of an opportunity to turn down.

"I would like that very much."

**Author's Note:**

> I intermittently find Gwen quite difficult to write so hopefully this isn't too out-of-character.


End file.
